It's no secret that now seems like a good time to buy a home: Affordability is high and interest rates are low. But those positives aren't translating into sales, and the latest Hanley Wood Housing 360 Survey shows why: Mortgage issues and down payments remain choke points for buyers.

A 53-year-old woman got divorced in May, and now, she wants to relocate to a new city and buy a little bungalow for herself and her 100-pound dog. But with her low income, she's wondering whether her best bet to get that home is deplete her retirement savings and buy it with cash. Our experts weigh in.

The administration's proposed revamp of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is actually an offering of multiple policy options, essentially passing the political hot potato to the Republicans. Problem is, any fix is sure to make mortgages costlier, with potential harm to the housing market.

Historically low mortgage rates are making houses more affordable in terms of "the monthly nut," but other considerations can trump simple affordability, and ignoring those hidden costs and risks can turn buying a home into a potential financial disaster.

Now that the home buyer tax credit program has expired, job growth and mortgage availability will likely be the key factors determining the rate of existing home sales, which unexpectedly dipped 2.2% in May to a 5.66 million unit pace.